For several years now, Microsoft has been introducing companies to a new vision for the future of work. Focusing on empowering employees across an increasingly distributed and disconnected landscape, Microsoft has helped to drive hybrid and flexible work into the mainstream. Today, more than 280 million people rely on Microsoft Teams for collaboration and communication across video, chat, and audio. Every day, new companies tap into the Teams ecosystem, and Microsoft continues rolling out new features and functionality. However, while countless organizations are keen to access the benefits of Teams, they don’t necessarily want to leave their legacy telephony investments behind.
“Identifying key business functions that need to be replicated in the Teams Calling environment requires considerable telephony experience. We take a deep dive into our customer’s PBX environment so we can help them shrink their on-prem footprint, deploy the best possible cloud calling solution, and optimize their UC investments across the board, said Jon Shelby, VP Sales, Continuant.
Fortunately, Microsoft doesn’t necessarily require brands to rip out and replace their old technology. With the right partnerships and support, business leaders can continue to access their existing telephony solutions from market-leading providers while still harnessing the benefits of cloud platforms like Teams.
Combining Legacy Hardware with Microsoft Teams
While Microsoft does offer its own calling plans and telephony hardware directly, it also provides businesses with an opportunity to plug their existing carrier package into the platform. SIP solutions and Direct Routing ensure business leaders with existing investments in voice can maintain their calling functionality and tools even as they transition into Microsoft Teams. This means organizations can leverage all the benefits of the Teams platform without replacing their entire communication infrastructure - saving time and money in the process. The question is, how do brands take advantage of this connectivity strategy without creating a more complex, confusing, or expensive ecosystem?
Step 1: Audit the Existing Infrastructure
The first step in successfully connecting an existing telephony solution to Microsoft Teams is auditing the existing technology. Companies will need to assess their current communication stack carefully to determine what features and functionality they need to bring with them into Microsoft Teams, as well as which new capabilities they might like to add. After all, shifting to Microsoft Teams doesn’t just give businesses the opportunity to benefit from the agility and flexibility of the cloud. It can also offer a chance to reconsider the needs of the workforce and update the communication stack with new calling capabilities. Some organizations may even choose to connect their UCaaS and CCaaS strategies during their migration for a more comprehensive, all-in-one approach to communications.
Step 2: Develop a Strategy
Direct Routing and Direct Routing as a Service (DRaaS) solution providers offer companies a variety of ways to leverage the full advantages of Microsoft Teams while maintaining their existing telephony infrastructure. Some vendors will be able to support companies looking to preserve a hybrid architecture, with both on-premises and cloud-based technologies connected in one place. Others will assist companies in building a plan which allows them to migrate fully into the cloud gradually, at their own pace. The strategy each company chooses for their Microsoft Teams communication plan will determine what kind of support they need from its partner or vendor. A good direct routing provider should be able to assist with everything from ensuring secure connections between vendors like Avaya and Microsoft Teams. However, they could also offer consultation and guidance for those interested in porting numbers or features to a different carrier.
